"Drink some water," a sultry voice spoke, and a glass of water was extended to Valeria. She was reluctant, refusing to take it.
Valerie stared at the all-white room. The bed, closet, couch, sheets, and everything were white. She even saw a cannula on her wrist, meaning she had been given medical attention.
How did she get here? She had no idea but felt better. Sadly, she still couldn't hear from her wolf, feeling completely human.
"Who are you? Where am I?" She asked the woman, who was both a beauty and an embodiment of strength. Valerie saw herself in the said woman, whose hand was extended with a glass of water.
"Drink and eat some food."
Valeria saw the food on the table but remembering Alpha Denzel's words, 'more suffering awaits her,' she refused to eat to make her death faster.
Yet, she gulped down the glass of water. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."
Her stomach rumbled instantly, embarrassment flashed in her eyes but was soon gone. She couldn't even remember eating before the coronation and didn't know which day it was.
The woman stared at her calmly. "I'm Adira, the beta of the Evergreen pack. Disobeying me is equivalent to disobeying the Alpha."
Valerie had been unconscious for the past forty-eight hours, so Adira knew she was lying, confirmed by her growling stomach.
Hearing the Evergreen Pack, Valerie was inky. She thought that Alpha Denzel had sent her somewhere but never expected to be in his very pack.
The image of him, encased in her mind like glue, sent fearful shivers down her spine. The same Alpha who wanted her to suffer was giving her comfort.
Something must be wrong somewhere. "I don't deserve to be here. I don't deserve this kind of hospitality. Send me to the dungeon."
A smirk appeared in the corner of Adira's lips, wishing that she had the power to single-handedly do so. "You are right, but this is the Alpha's orders and no one dares to disobey them, including you and I."
Valeria was confused, but of what use would Alpha Denzel care if she eats or not? Even her own pack, including her mate and kid sister, gave up on her.
Ever since she woke up, she told herself to never shed a tear no matter what. Having no wolf, she had to show strength, so no one would know that she lost her wolf.
Everything seemed so strange to her, she asked, "is the food poisoned?"
Adira's eyes squinted in annoyance. If she were tasked with eliminating Valerie, she would want to do so physically, not using the shortcut of poison.
"Why would you think that?"
Valerie confirmed that it wasn't what she was thinking. "It means it's not poisoned. Please help a sister, will you?" She asked pleadingly, and Adira's brows raised questionably. Before her lips parted to ask what Valerie meant, she ordered, "Poison it."
Beta Adira would be very pleased to do so, but still, she was afraid since Valerie was entrusted to her care. She heard about Valerie's achievement at the Yellow Stone pack and also her recent case of infidelity.
It was understandable that both Alphas rejected her. "Eat, or I will call the Alpha."
Valerie paled at the mention of the Alpha. She heard that Alpha Denzel was a very busy man, as he had businesses in Las Vegas. She didn't expect him to be around.
"I…is he around?" She stammered and asked, and Adira chuckled.
"I take care of the pack while the Alpha takes care of his businesses. You are lucky he isn't around."
A relief sigh escaped Valerie, as she was afraid of setting eyes on him again. "Good. Then you can begin my torture. I can endure it all." Her eyes were filled with determination, and Adira was beginning to like her bravery.
"You are such an interesting character, but sorry, I don't take orders from you. Now eat," Adira insisted, not wanting to face her Alpha's wrath upon his return for Valerie's refusal to eat.
The girl looked strong and healthy. Just a few bruises remained on her body, making it strange how her skin hadn't healed after so many hours.
Adira had a lot of questions to ask, but her focus at the moment was to make Valerie eat as the Alpha had instructed.
"No. I'm not hungry. Take the food away." Valerie's voice was commanding, as if she still had her wolf, but she had used extra energy just to make it so.
Adira was enraged, she left the food and walked out. Reaching for her phone in her back pocket, she dialed a number…
***
In Las Vegas, it was night and the city illuminated with enchanting lights. Alpha Denzel was having a meeting with a group of trusted men in his office.
In Las Vegas, they performed the function of bodyguards but were pack warriors who took care of his enemies at his command.
Alpha Denzel was the most feared mafia don, having so many enemies. At the moment, he sent a message to his secretary via the intercom.
"Nobody comes to my office. Everything else should wait until I'm through with this meeting."
"Yes, sir, I will ensure it," came the response from his secretary's desk. Denzel hung up and addressed his three most trusted men.
"The attack on the Yellow Stone Pack will be done tomorrow. Kill everything in sight, but we have only 30 minutes to operate. Remember, Alpha Tristan, is mine." Alpha Denzel's expression was fierce, but these three warriors had been with him for a decade.
Alpha Denzel never attacked any pack without a good reason, and he would usually use the pack warriors. These warriors took care of his enemies in Las Vegas only, having been away from the pack for a while.
"Are we attacking with the pack?" One of the warriors asked, and Alpha Denzel shook his head and brought out masks.
"No. This is secret." He pressed a remote, and as soon as his wine cabinet opened, one of the warriors rushed to serve his favorite whisky.
Being with Alpha Denzel for a long time, they communicated less with words but would promptly discern his needs.
As he poured the whisky for Alpha Denzel, another warrior brought out his cigar, lighting it for him. Alpha Denzel might be expressionless, but the way he gulped down the whisky was a clear indication that he was feeling hurt.
"Alpha, is it because of what they did to Luna Valerie?"
Alpha Denzel's jaws clenched as he tried to maintain his calm. He was not one to show his emotions and retorted sternly, "The details of the matter do not concern you."
"Sorry Alpha, it's just that, I saw the man in the picture. The one Alpha Tristan claimed to be in bed with Luna Valerie."
Click.
The glass in Alpha Denzel's hand broke from hearing the news. Some of the broken pieces pierced him, but he healed fast.
One of the warriors cleared the mess as another one replaced the glass. "You did? Where?"
The jingling sound of a phone rang, and the warrior kept quiet. It was Alpha Denzel's phone. He glanced at the screen and, seeing the caller ID, he scowled.
"You should all wait for me outside."
He usually wouldn't get rid of the warriors before accepting Adira's call, but this time, he was certain that the call was because of Valerie.
The warriors scurried out of the office before he answered the phone, asking directly, "how is she?"
At the end of the line, Beta Adira was confused. For all she knew, the Alpha hated Valerie, but asking how she was doing without asking about the pack caused Adira's gaze to darken.
She took in deep breaths before responding, "She refused to eat, asking me to poison the food."
Alpha Denzel tried to control his rage and spoke calmly. "I'm coming, but don't tell her."
He instantly ended the call, and Adira was shocked but shook it off. Maybe, Alpha Denzel didn't want Valerie to die because of how he wanted to torture her. Adira was just overthinking.
Alpha Denzel called his warriors back after ending the call with Adira. His mood was ruined at the fact that Valerie refused to eat and wanted to die.
"Meet me at the Yellow Stone Pack tomorrow, but capture that man and keep him until our return."
His mood was suddenly icy, but when he was behaving oddly, his most trusted warriors would always ask.
"Alpha, why don't we question him first? What if he is indeed innocent? Luna Valerie might not be worth it."
Because Alpha Denzel's expression was always dark, no one noticed a change in his expression regarding the warrior's suggestion. His tone was as cold as his gaze.
"Who said that I'm doing it for her? Refrain from mentioning her name, but lest you know, Luna Valerie is too proud to give herself to a random guy."
Alpha Denzel was sure about that part since it wasn't the first time, he encountered Valerie. It just seemed strange the way she stared at him with innocent pleading eyes as if she hadn't met him before.
The three bodyguards were speechless. If the Alpha knew this, then why did he reject her?
"Alpha, if you believe she is innocent, then why did you reject her?" The lead bodyguard, Godic asked.